Automatic supply-regulator



PATENTED APR. 26, 1904.

E. 3. GOLD. AUTOMATIC SUPPLY REGULATOR.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 26, 1904.

N0 MODEL.

Patented April 26, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

EGBERT H. GOLD, OF SHELBY, INDIANA.

AUTOMATIC SUPPLY-REGULATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 758,437, dated April 26, 1904.

Application fi1ed January 26, 1904- Serial No. 190,708. (No model.)

means for automatically regulating the supply of a heating medium to a radiating system, said means being actuated by the condition of the heating medium at a point adjacent to the outlet of the radiating system. These and such other objects as may hereinafter appear are attained by the devices shown in the ac companying drawings, in which Figure 1 indicates diagrammatically and in perspective the heating system of a car fitted with my apparatus, and Fig. 2 is a sectional detail through my device.

A indicates the floor ofa car; 13, the trainpipe; C, the supplypipe leading from .the train-pipe to my apparatus; D, the supply-pipe leadingfrom my apparatus to the radiating system of the car; E, the radiating-pipes; F, the return-pipe leading, from the radiators to my control device; G, the drip-pipe discharg ing to the atmosphere, and H the thermostatcasing.

I indicates the casing containing the. principal parts of my'apparatus,

J is a hand-operated feed-valve.

intermediate chamber 4, and an outlet-chamber 5. Leading into the inlet-chamber 3 is a port 6, which communicates: with the feedpipe (1 and is provided with a valve-seat 7.

Mounted within the inlet-chamber]? is a valve 8, adapted to seat upon the valve-seat 7 and provided with a stem 9, which extends through the permanent diaphragm 1 and is attached to the flexible diaphragm 2.

Mounted upon the valve-stem 9 is a helical spring 10, which normally holds the valve 8 unseated from the valve-seat 7. Upon that portion of the valve-stem 9 which extends within the inlet-chamber 3 is a collar 11.

Mounted upon the valve stem 9 between the collar'll and the diaphragm 1 is a'washer of packing material 12.

In the position of the parts shown in Fig. 2 the expansion of the helical spring 10 draws the collar 11 on the valve stem 9 tightly against the packing Washer 12 and firmly clamps the packing-washer 12 between the collar 11 and the permanent diaphragm 1, thus making steam-tight the passage through the diaphragm 1, through which the valvestem 9 projects.

Steam entering the device through'the supply-pipe C enters the inlet-chamber 3, passes then, e through the pipe D to the radiatingpip 's, whence it returns through the pipe F tothe outlet-chamber 5 within the casing I.

"The port between the outlet-chamber 5 and the drip-pipe G '-is provided with. a valveseat 13, adapted to be closed by a valve 14, operated by a thermostatic steam-trap of familiar construction.

-As theradiating-pipes E become filled with live steam the live steam passing through the outlet-pipe F fills the outlet-chamber 5 and passing therefrom through the drip-pipe Gr and around the diaphragm 15 within the diaphragm casing H will expand the diaphragm, thereby closing the valve 14: against the valveseat 13, whereupon the further; admission of steam to the radiating system through the supply-pipe C Will create a pressure within the system, provided the radiating-pipes E are filled with live steam, VVhen' this pressure reaches the outlet-chamber 5, it will expand the flexible diaphragm 12,- thereby carrying the valvestem 9 agai "the spring-l0 and seating the valve 8 uponthevalve-seat 7, with the result that the supply of steam to the. radiating system is im mediately shut off. The steam within the radiating-pipes condensing will cause a flow of the water of condensation into the outlet-chamber 5 and will cause a reduction of pressure Withiii the chamber 5. with the result that the valve 8 will reopen to allow the admission" of sufiicient steam to replace the steam which has so condensed. The Water of condensation within the chamber 5 will meanwhile be taker'fcetire of by the contraction of the thermostat 15 and the consequent opening of the valve 1 1.

In actual operation the apparatus so adjusts itselfthat ordinarily the valve 8 will be slightly open, so as toadmit just enough live steam to compensate for condensation within the system and keep the radiating system su pplied with live steam, while the valve" 14: will adjust itself to be open just enough to take care of the water of condensation as it flows into the chamber 5.

While in the drawings I have shown only enough of the apparatus to disclose the construction and operation above described, it will be readily understood by those skilledin this art that any well-known means can be adapted to this device for regulating the ten sion upon the diaphragm 2, and thereby regulating the pressure at which the diaphragm 2 will be operated to close the valve 8. 7

While 1 have shown my invention embodied in whatI at present consider its preferred form, it will be understood that the details of construction may be considerably varied without departing from the spirit of my invenpin connection with a radiating system, such as that commonly now used in railway-cars, in which, for example, a radiating system of five hundred or six hundred feet of pipe of small diameter and necessarily having many turns, including descending and rising pipes,through which the heating medium must flow and in which there is a great amount of friction and rapid radiation and condensation. In using low-pressure steam as the heating medium in such a system it is important that the radiating system shall at all times be filled with live steam, because the comparatively low temperature of low-pressure steam, which makes it desirable for heating a living-room, such as the inside of a car, also makes it necessary to have the radiating system filled with this steam at alltimes, for if any considerable part of the radiating system be filled with cool air or water of condensation the heating efficiency of the steam will be very appreciably reduced. With my apparatus the supply and discharge ends of the radiating system are so related to each other that the rate of supply is so governed by the condition within the circulatingpipes, near the discharge end thereof, that the be understood that I do not, broadly, claim any system in which the pressure within the radiating system is utilized to control the supply of heating medium to the radiating system, even when used in connection with antomatic means for providing for the discharge of the water of cond ensation; but my invention does relate to the apparatus herein claimed by me, wherein a diaphragm-motor actuated by pressure within the radiating system, adjacent -to the discharge end thereof, is utilized, in

connection with a thermostatic trap connected with the discharge end of the radiating system, to automatically control the supply of the heating medium, so as to at all times keep the radiating-pipes filled from end to end with live steam at substantially atmospheric pressure.

I claim- 1. In a heating system, the combination with a system of radiating-pipes leading at one end to the atmosphere, of a valve, arranged said pipes, a thermostatic trap arranged to automatically open and close the outlet from the discharge end of the pipes to the atmosphere, and a diaphragm motor mounted within a chamber communicating with said pipes adjacent to the outlet end thereof, said diaphragm-motor being arranged to automatically operate said inlet-valve.

2. In a heating system, the combination with a system of radiating-pipes communicating at their discharge end with the atmosphere, and provided with an inlet-chamber communicating with their inlet end, of means for supplying a heating medium to said radiating-pipes through said inlet-ch amber, a valve mounted in saidi'nlet-chamber and arranged to control the flow of the heating medium therethrongh, a thermostatic trap arranged to control the opening from the discharge end of said pipes to the atmosphere, a diaphragmmotor arranged within a chamber communicating with the radiating-pipes adjacent to the discharge end thereof, and connections between said diaphragm-motor and said valve, all so arranged that when actuated by pressure within said circulating system, adjacent to the discharge end thereof, said diaphragmmotor will move said valve in a direction to shut off the flow of. the heating medium into the inlet end of said radiating system.

; EGBERT H. GOLD.

Witnesses: p 

